Kristin Cavallari’s boyfriend, Mark Estes, isn’t bothered by the conversation surrounding the couple’s 13-year age gap.
“She makes me happy, I make her happy,” the TikTok star, 24, told E! News in a Thursday, March 21, interview with fellow Montana Boyz members Kaleb Winterburn and Kade Wilcox. “That’s what’s important.”
When it comes to the chatter about his relationship with Cavallari, 37, Estes insisted, “I’m not too worried about the critics, honestly.”
The couple went public with their romance in February when Cavallari shared a photo from their vacation in Mexico.
“He makes me happy 🤍,” she wrote via Instagram, sharing a photo of herself with Estes. The former college football player reposted Cavallari’s snap via his Instagram Story, adding two red heart emojis.
The Hills alum was quick to clap back after debuting her younger man. “When they’re all up in arms that I’m dating a 24 year old. Andddd?” she wrote via TikTok earlier this month.
A source exclusively told Us Weekly that the twosome had been together “for a while” before sharing their romance online, adding that Cavallari “doesn’t care what people think when it comes to his age.”
Her friends feel the same way. “After seeing them together, they realize Kristin and Mark have a genuine connection, and they see how happy he makes her,” a second insider told Us.
Cavallari opened up about how she connected with Estes during an episode of her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast earlier this month, revealing they met via Instagram.
“Back in like September, I’m scrolling and I come across this boy group, I guess you could call them, The Montana Boyz,” she said. “So I go, ‘Holy s—t, who are these guys? Because they’re so hot. Specifically this one, who I’m gonna refer to as ‘Montana.'”
When Cavallari received a message from the Montana Boyz’ account that said “I love you,” she invited the TikTok group on her podcast.
Shortly afterward, Cavallari guided Estes, Winterburn and Wilcox on a tour of Nashville.
“So we went line dancing,” she explained. “And then he asked me to be his Valentine.”
Sharing his side of the story, Estes told E! News that his decision to message Cavallari on the group’s account was a “bold one,” adding, “It was a shot in the dark.”
Cavallari was previously married to Jay Cutler from 2013 to 2022, and the former couple share three children: sons Camden, 11, and Jaxon, 9, and daughter Saylor, 8. According to Cavallari, the kids have already bonded with Estes.
“I think, more than anything, my kids are really excited for me,” she said on her podcast earlier this month, gushing that the little ones were “big fans” of her boyfriend right away.
